Key issues: The two candidates disagree
over incumbent Dave Arnold's conviction rate. There also appears to
be a fair amount of personal animosity between the two lawyers who
once worked with each other, with Judd saying Arnold lacks integrity
and Arnold saying Judd has a poor ethic.

There is no love lost between the two
candidates for Lebanon County District Attorney.

At Monday's night's candidates' forum
at the Lebanon courthouse, challenger Elizabeth Judd said incumbent
Dave Arnold lacks integrity. Arnold said Judd has a poor work ethic.

These are two people who used to work
together. Judd, now a public defender, supported Arnold in his first
run for office eight years ago and served as his first assistant
district attorney for two years.

They already competed against each
other once – in the spring primary election when both were seeking the
Republican nomination. Arnold beat Judd handily in that race by 65
percent to 35 percent, but Judd won a spot on the Democratic ballot
as a write-in candidate.

Since Lebanon County is heavily
Republican, that would seem to give Arnold a distinct advantage in
the general election. But Judd said she never backs down from a
challenge, and Arnold said he takes nothing for granted.

Their animosity became apparent at
Monday's League of Women Voters and WGAL-sponsored forum when moderators asked both candidates how they would
describe their opponent's abilities as a lawyer.

Judd said she once thought Arnold did a
good job, but became disappointed in him.

“I'm disappointed in his lack of
commitment, how he administers his office and his integrity,” she
said.

Judd brought up two items she said she
believes show Arnold's lack of integrity.

She said he allowed a detective who had
sex with a suspect in an evidence room to resign after investigating
the matter internally. She said there should have been an outside
investigation to determine if it was a criminal matter.

She also said he allowed clerk of
courts Lisa Arnold – no relation – to campaign for him although she is
being sued for not doing her job.

“She tried with two district
attorneys,” he said. “She's not incompetent. The problem is, she
doesn't do the work. She misses deadlines and failed to complete
work.”

Judd, in reply, said all her
evaluations under Arnold were excellent, and she would post them on
her website.

In campaign literature, in a personal
interview and at the forum, Judd said Arnold has a poor conviction
rate, particularly regarding sexual assault cases.

Arnold, in return, said he is proud of
his conviction rate, which he said has increased from 50 percent to
75 percent for jury trials during his term. He accused Judd of being
“either terribly misinformed or deceitful.”

He said he has earned the trust of the
law enforcement community, and has the endorsements of several law
enforcement organizations.

“I am dedicated to catching and
prosecuting violent criminals to the fullest extent of the law,” as
well as serious drug dealers, sexual predators and those who prey on
the elderly, he said.

Judd has also accused Arnold of being
arbitrary in administering the ARD program in the county.

“There are no guidelines, no
standards,” she said.

In an earlier interview, Arnold said
that charge was “a ridiculous comment from a desperate candidate.”

Despite their differences, Arnold and
Judd agreed on many of the issues brought up at the candidates'
forum, including the need to use discretion in balancing punishment
and rehabilitation and pursuing the death penalty in homicide cases.

When asked earlier about the falling
out between himself and Judd, Arnold said only “things happen
sometimes, that's the way it it.”

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